The greatest challenge for journalists is maintaining their credibility as a reliable news source and combating accusations of “fake news.” Journalists rank the impact of smaller staffs and fewer resources on their workloads as a close second. In fact, thirty percent of journalists file ten or more stories per week.
What Journalists Want from Public Relations Professionals:
More than one-third of journalists cited press releases as the most useful source for generating stories or story ideas, making it the most popular response. More than three-quarters of consumers prefer press releases to any other type of content sent by brands and PR professionals. Second-placed are trends and market data, and nearly half are interested in event invitations.
To build stronger relationships with journalists, PR professionals must be aware of the following:
- Given the elevated criticism for credibility and audience trust, nearly two-thirds find it inexcusable to provide anything less than accurate and sourced information.
- A significant number of journalists say they won’t make time for PR pros who don’t respect their deadline if they don’t feel they’re being treated with respect.
- The vast majority of journalists will not tolerate “being bombarded with irrelevant pitches,” which is all the more reason to ensure that pitches are directed at the appropriate media outlets. In fact, few journalists claim that the majority of pitches they receive are pertinent.
- Include multimedia: images, videos, and infographics. Journalists believe that publicists can make their jobs easier by including such content in their pitches and press releases. Journalists are more likely to cover a story if the initial pitch includes multimedia.